The Hunter and the Huntress
by SilverFang4190
Summary: Based off the movie "Predator"! What happens if Major Dutch was ordered to take a specially made government weapon with him? PredatorOC. Rated M for language and gore!
1. Secret Weapon

**AN:** YAY MY FIRST PREDATOR STORY!! Well this is based off the movie Predator and I will be using some of the dialogue from it to help it flow a little bit. So I hope you enjoy and R&R please!!

**Disclaimer: I own nothing from the movie "Predator" except my own character.**

Dutch breathed a silent sigh of relief once the helicopter touched down on its landing pad. He watched as his team exited it with their duffels and gear. He slowly lit a cigar and took a few gentle drags on it before exiting himself with his own stuff. The entire base was alive with activity as was expected in a military base. With another puff he nodded farewell to his team before a jeep drove him towards the stairs that lead up to the main office. Once the jeep came to a stop Dutch soon caught sight of the heading General of the base as he stepped away from the vehicle.

The General gave a welcoming smile as he extended his hand to him, "Looking good, Dutch."

He took his hand with the same smile while he took the offered hand, "It's been a long time, General."

The General nodded good naturedly before he tilted his head to the building behind him, "Come on inside."

Dutch followed him without question into the gloomy looking building. Everywhere there were supply crates, some tables with chairs, and lots of paperwork littering them. Dutch watched as the General took a rolled up map from one the stacks and spread it before them.

"18 hours ago, we lost a chopper carrying a cabinet minister and his aide from this charming little country," he began in a very sarcastic tone coloring his words making Dutch smirk around his cigar, "We've got a transponder fixed on their position about here.

Dutch frowned in thought as he stared to where he had pointed to on the map, "This cabinet minister, does he always travel on the wrong side of the border?"

He was quickly given an answering grimace, "Apparently, they strayed off course and we're fairly certain that they are in guerrilla hands."

The younger man slowly breathed out the thick tobacco smoke before asking, "Why don't you use the regular army? What do you need us for?"

"Because some damn fool accused you of being the best."

Dutch turned in surprise at the familiar voice, "Dillon! You son of a bitch."

The black man stood with a grin as the two approached each other and clasped hands warmly. Both men stranded against each others' grip, Dillon more so than Dutch but the warmth behind the grip didn't change.

Dutch smirked at the shaking of the other's arm, "What's the matter, the CIA got you pushing too many pencils?" Seeing he wasn't going to get any reply besides the heavy breathing he pushed harder, "Huh, had enough?"

"Make it easier on yourself, Dutch," gasped Dillon straining against his grip noticing that he was clearly losing the game, "Okay, okay!"

He chuckled in return, "You never did know when to quit."

Dillon merely grinned and shook his shoulder lightly, "Damn good to see you, Dutch."

Dutch laughed before grabbing Dillon's tie in a mocking gesture, "What is this fucking tie business?"

Dillon rolled his eyes at his friend's try at a joke, "Forget about my tie, I heard about that job you pulled off in Berlin very nice."

He nodded at the compliment in appreciation, "Yeah, like the good old days."

Dillon gave him a questioning look as he led him to the table he used for a desk, "Then why did you pass up Libya?"

Dutch shrugged nonchalantly, "That wasn't my style."

"You don't have a style you know that, Dutch," corrected Dillon firmly wanting a straight answer, "Come on. Why did you pass?"

Dutch didn't answer right away as he carefully relit his cigar, "We're a rescue team, not assassins. Now, what do we got to do?"

Dillon and the General shared a look before the General stood up to take up the conversation, "That cabinet minister is important to our operations in this part of the world."

Dillon gave a drawl tilt of his head as he turned to Dutch, "Dutch, the General is saying that some of our friends are about to get squeezed and we can't let that happen. So we need the best… you."

Dutch eyed them both, "Go on."

"Simple set up, one day operation," began Dillon in a business tone as he began to lay out the plan, "We pick up their trail at the chopper, run them down, grab the hostages, and bounce back over the borders before anyone knows we we're there."

Dutch gave a questioning look, "What do you mean 'we'?"

He grinned, "I'm going in with you, Dutch."

This wasn't received easily as Dutch turned to the General with a frown, "General, my team always works alone. You know that."

The General's face was as passive as stone, "I'm afraid we all have our orders, Major. Once you reach your objective, Dillon will evaluate the situation and take charge. You will have our secret tool to help you encase you run into trouble."

"Secret… tool?" asked Dutch warily, "What is this tool?"

Dillon chuckled patting his shoulder, "Don't worry, Dutch, I'll be the one keeping her in line."

"Her?" he asked clearly confused, "I thought this was some kind of tracking tool."

"Well, kind of in a sense she is," he replied motioning towards what at first glance appeared to be a crate covered in a white tarp, "She is in there."

Dutch looked at it then at him questioningly, "What do you mean?"

Dillon shook his head before reaching over and pulling off the tarp revealing a young woman blindfolded with a collar around her neck crouched in the back of a cage, "That's 'her'."

The other man frowned in shook and disgust, "Her? She is a woman. Why do you have her like that?"

The young woman looked like she was in her early twenties. Her body from what he could tell was slim and gracefully proportioned, but as she shifted further to the back of the cage with a growl that she had an impressive amount of muscle. She had a thick mane of golden-orange hair with what looked like black, leopard rosettes patterned in it and all over her arms, neck, and some on her face.

"Pretty isn't she," stated Dillon taking up a small remote, "She is the product of DNA splicing. Her genes were molded with those of a female leopard. Project 246 is used in special missions like this one because of her heightened senses, animal instincts, and incredible endurance and stamina she is the perfect military weapon."

Dutch knelt down in front of the cage's door watching as she turned her face to face him as well, "This is barbaric, Dillon. How could someone do this to another human being?"

"That is none of our concern, my friend," he stated firmly watching as she scented the air curiously, "The only thing that you need to know is that we will be taking her on the mission. She was created for this kind of terrain and if she gets out of hand well all I have to do is press this button."

When he did so the girl let forth a snarl of pain and anger that caused her to collapse into a twitching ball.

"Stop it damn you!" yelled Dutch putting his hand through the bars to touch her shoulder but he had to quickly pull it back as she swung around to snap what could only be fangs at him. He watched in disbelief while she dragged herself as far back into the cage as she could possibly go.

"She will obey any command given to her with great accuracy," continued Dillon like it didn't bother him at all that he had hurt the panting female, "Project 246 is the best weapon the government can offer and she will be a great asset to our mission."

Dutch glared up at him in disbelief, "How can you just do something like that to her?"

He shook his head impatiently, "Dutch, she isn't human anymore. All that she has now is an animal's instincts and ways of thinking."

"That doesn't change the fact that she is still human no matter what her mind is," challenged Dutch staring at his friend angrily.

Dillon returned the look before harshly pointing a finger at the silent figure in the cage, "We have our orders, Dutch, she is coming with us wither you like it or not. Project 246 is our back up plan and she could just as well be the thing that saves our asses out there."

Dutch glared after his long time friend. Turning he looked at the small, crouched figure that remained silent through the argument, "Don't worry, Girl, I'll make certain you're treated fairly on this mission."

She didn't make a move as if she understood which caused him to sigh slightly before leaving as well. Yet, when he had left the room completely Project 246 raised her head with a slight pearling sound in her throat at the words of kindness. She had never experienced such a thing before and it brought her a warm feeling in her heart. Maybe this man wouldn't be like the other keepers like the black male. Maybe this male would show her more of this kindness that she had only dreamed of.

AN: Well I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Please R & R and I'll have the next chapter out soon… btw more reviews make a speedier chapter just so you know.


	2. Dressing for the Kill

**AN**: Thank you to the ones who both read and reviewed my story! So this is for you guys!! Enjoy and R&R!!

**DISCLAIMER**: I own nothing pertaining to the Predator movie but I do own my character.

"Wake up, girl, time to go to work," said a male voice that she quickly recognized to be the black, male keeper. Project 246 growled quietly in annoyance at the interruption of her nap, but it wasn't like she wasn't excited to finally get out of the accursed cage they had her in.

Dillon watched her reactions for a moment but seeing that she was calm and compliant he took a key and opened the cage for her, "Out you come."

She walked out on all fours her shoulders popping up and down like a big cats'. With a long stretch and effectively popping every bone possible she then sat quietly, waiting for her instructions.

"Project 246, your mission is to protect the team you are assigned to. You are to obey every order that is given to you from either Major Dutch or myself is that understood?" asked Dillon firmly.

She nodded her head in understanding before standing onto her two legs but she made no motion of violence or malice as she waited patiently.

He nodded his own understanding before carefully removing the blindfold from her eyes, revealing her dazzling emerald eyes that danced around in curiosity and suspicion.

"Dillon, I…" began another male voice making her stiffen with a bearing of teeth.

Dillon quickly showed her the remote that controlled the shock collar around her neck causing her to quickly cover her teeth with her lips returning to her passive stance, "Careful, Dutch, I just took off the blindfold so she is kind of edgy and ready to go."

Project 246 watched the larger man observe her curiously. Her nose told her that this was the man that had said such kind words to her. She tilted her head to the side in a show of her good natured side before Dillon motioned for her attention.

"Project 246, this is your other commanding officer Dutch," he said making certain that the collar's remote was her line of vision as she approached Dutch.

Dutch blinked in wonder at the small woman that approached him with such grace and elegance that seemed inhuman, yet he had to remember that she wasn't quite human. To his astonishment she lowered her head slightly to him before saluting, "Project 246 at your service, sir."

"Um, at ease," he stuttered slightly from the shook of hearing her sweet gentle voice, but that was canceled out by the hard glint of anger and contempt that lay bottled in her glowing green eyes.

"Don't try getting into a long conversation with her," interrupted Dillon handing her a pile of new clothes, "She has only been taught to say enough to answer in missions. Go change into these in the bathroom."

She nodded in understanding before gathering them up and going into the indicated bathroom.

"Are we suppose to give her a gun?" asked Dutch following her until she closed the door.

Dillon shook his head with a laugh, "No, this girl only works with knives and blades. The only things we give her are those and a pack filled with medicine, her poncho, and some water."

"What about food?" he asked as Dillon packed all said things into a small backpack.

"She has been trained to not have to eat for long extended periods of time," he elaborated zipping up the pack with a flourish.

Dutch frowned at this before asking, "When was the last time she ate exactly?"

His friend stopped with a thoughtful look, "I believe it was when they brought her in about a week and a half ago."

He blinked in disbelief, "Why are you starving her like this?"

Dillon shook his head, "Dutch, she would be a dangerous thing if we allowed her to stay at full strength."

Dutch opened his mouth to counter it, but stopped as the bathroom door opened. Project 246 stood there in all her dangerous glory. She was dressed in long, camouflaged, cargo pants, a black form fitting tank top that stopped a little bit above her midriff to show some of her exotic rosettes against her flat stomach. Then for her shoes she had a pair of black, leather boots with a slight heel. In other words she was dressed to kill.

Dillon merely nodded at her before motioning her forward where he threw a padded military vest and a leather harness at her, "Put these on and I'll arm you." Once she did as she was told to he put a pair of sais in her chest harness, a hunting knife on each of her boots, a machete blade on her waist, and her pack on her back, "These are to remain sheathed."

She nodded even though her hands itched and twitched to do the opposite and bury her beloved blades into this man before her.

"Now let's get moving the chopper is waiting for us," he said pocketing the remote under her heavy gaze before he once again blindfolded her.

Dutch watched all of this in silence as he followed them outside toward the landing pad, "Why do we need to keep her blinded?"

"She is easier to handle this way," answered Dillon holding onto one of her arms firmly, "It makes her more compliant to us."

Dutch nodded as he acknowledged his team's greetings and there confused looks toward the young woman, "She is our ace in the deck, boys, don't ask question just leave her be."

They all nodded without question as they all climbed into the chopper and settled in for the ride ahead. Dillon pushed Project 246 to crouch against the bench between him and Dutch, "Sit and behave, girl."

She remained silent but in truth her heart was beating in excitement at the thought of being out in the wild jungle. To be able to breathe in the fresh air, feel grass and good soil under foot, and enjoy the thrill of being a huntress in her own terrain. To finally be able to run free and unencumbered by any force of nature. Her train of thought was broken by the sound of a radio 

being turned on full blast and the smell of tobacco. From what she could tell there were five other men besides her two keepers.

"Rendezvous points and radio freqs are indicated and fixed," said Dillon's voice over her head causing her to shift uneasily to touch the collar around her neck, "AWACS contact on f our-hour intervals."

Dutch nodded but he noticed how the girl shifted nervously away from the one she knew had the remote to her collar, "Who is our back up?"

Dillon shook his head with a grim smile, "No such thing, old buddy. This is a one way ticket. Once we cross that border, we're on our own."

He smiled himself at the humor of the dangerous situation, "This getting better by the minute."

She bared her teeth in a grimace before she settled into her usual crouch ignoring them all. Her only thoughts was on the oncoming time when she could be set loose to do her job… and maybe find some food and water while she was at it. It had been a long time now since her keepers had fed her a decent meal much less the fresh meat her belly so desperately ached for. She always looked forward to being able to work because that always meant time they didn't pay attention to her every move meaning she could slip away to find the nourishment she needed. Placing a hand over her stomach to silence the growl it issued as if it could already sense the food that it was going to receive. Once again her train of thought was interrupted but this time it was the familiar beep to signal for the exiting of the chopper.

"Right," said Dutch before removing his headset to motion at his team to prepare to disembark. He glanced down at the now quivering girl at his feet. It looked like she was going to explode from the strain of having to hold herself in check, but as Dillon's hand touched the top of her head she went as still as death.

"Time to let the cat out of the bag, Dutch, and see her in action," he said as he took a firm grip on the collar around her neck and with the other ripped the blindfold off to reveal her flashing eyes. She strained against his hold toward the door, snarling her excitement and anger at being held. She knew that behind that closed door laid the wilderness she craved…the freedom that awaited her untamed spirit.

"Looks like the little lady is ready to party," commented Blain as he and the others watched the display passively, "I like her style."

Dutch opened the sliding door sending her into even a greater frenzy. Her eyes wide in joy as she took her first breath of clean, forest air. The scent of the plants, soil, water, and other creatures sent her senses on overdrive.

Dillon took a firmer grip on her before leaning over slightly to get a good look at the canopy below," I never knew how much I missed this, Dutch."

Dutch smirked at him and looked from the forest to the snarling girl, "You were never that smart. Now let her go before she hurts herself."

He nodded in return before releasing his grip on the only thing keeping her in the chopper.

The girl gave a hiss of joy as she launched herself from them into the air causing all of them to curse at her stunt, but that didn't faze her in the least as she began to drop to the forest floor. For once in a long time she smiled at the wind in her face and the oncoming tree line. With the agile prowess only found in cats she quickly grabbed a tree branch and swung herself down to the ground to wait for the rest of the team. All the girl could do was grin at the good earth under her hands and feet. She had to firmly restrain herself from lying down and rolling in to rid herself of the terrible smells of her keepers on her skin. The hybrid jerked her head to look at the black cable that was thrown from the helicopter making her crouch in attention while the team touched down in front of her.

**AN**: Well I hope you all enjoyed it. R&R!! It makes chapters come out faster.


	3. Respect for Hunters

**WHOOT NEW CHAPTER!!!! Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews/adds/alerts. I'm flattered to know that my story is liked by fellow Predator fans. Anyway I hope you appreciate this longer chapter. Enjoy!!!!**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the movie Predator, but the leopard hybrid belongs to me.

_**Chapter 3: Respect for Hunters**_

Once they had all assembled and made sure that their equipment was secure Dutch looked over at the young woman and motioned her to take point. With light steps she brushed past him on all fours, silent as an angel of death.

The hybrid let her senses out like a net to search for any signs of guerrillas or anything that would do the team harm, but that wasn't quite what she found. As she led the team forward into the thick jungle she sensed that something wasn't right. The animals were all tense and much quieter than normal. She couldn't smell or see anything that could cause this reaction from the wild life, however in the leopard part of her brain she knew that something lurked out there watching. Something that made her stop and crouch low for a second causing Dutch to whistle at her in a bird call signal. Project 246 flinched at the harsh sound before continuing on like nothing had happened, yet she remained alert. Something was out there… something far more dangerous than guerrillas or her keepers that crept close behind.

Dutch stood a few paces behind the girl watching as her head swung slightly from side to side scenting the air. He didn't know what had caused her to hesitate the way she had. When she had stopped it been like she had sensed something and it had somehow confused and frightened her. However, the minute he whistled for a response Project 246 had shied away slightly causing her bright eyes to flash in alarm yet she loped ahead back into formation like nothing had happened. Dutch blinked curiously at the strange act.

"What's the matter, Major?" breathed Poncho moving up to stand beside the large man.

"Nothing," replied Dutch not taking his eyes off the golden head, "let's keep moving."

The team moved silently through the forest making a full sweep of the area. It wasn't until several hours when Project 246 gave forth a light rumble signaling the team together. Dutch quickly moved to her side looking at her stiffened posture while she gazed fixedly up into a large tree revealing the position of the downed helicopter.

"Good, girl," praised Dillon placing a hand on her head causing her to grimace, which wasn't missed by the rest of the team.

Dutch ignored this for the moment when Poncho looked back at him for permission to proceed. With a nod he was swinging a grappling hook up onto the plane before climbing up with Dillon close behind. Once Dillon was out of sight Dutch looked over at the crouching girl who seemed completely passive to the operations going on around her, "Hey." She quickly glanced up at him waiting for his orders, "Go with Billy. I want you two to find out what happened here and see if you can pick up a trail."

She swiftly nodded, "Yes, sir!" Then followed after Billy, who watched her in interest.

The two quickly set to working out the mess of different foot prints and brush damage left by the people that had been there before them. It was easy enough for Project 246 to scent the guerrillas, who smelled like gun powder and old blood along with the two CIA agents. She carefully maneuvered around the area making sure to take every sight and smell into account, yet something was off. Her eyes flickered once over the team knowing that none of them except herself had been near this particular area… then why were there other foot prints with the army issued mark? She growled lowly in agitation causing Billy to join her to look at what was bothering her. The moment he spied the foot prints he too frowned in wonder, "This isn't right."

He nodded at her while placing a firm hand on her shoulder giving it a light shake, "Good job, Luna."

She made a confused sound in her throat, frowning at the odd address to her person. Seeing this Billy's lips quirked up in amusement, "You don't think I'm going to call you by your government given name? We are the same you and I. You deserve as much respect and acknowledgements as any of us do."

She still gazed up at him in confusion. Why was this keeper doing this? As Project 246 all she knew were commands. What was the point in naming her?

"You have the spirit of the great cats in you, which is very apparent. All cats find their greatest strengths from the moon so it seems natural to call you Luna after the great Sister of the Earth. That is if you find it suitable of course."

The newly dubbed Luna gazed back at him with a wary look, but made no inclination to her feelings about the name.

"Very well, Luna it is," confirmed Billy while they moved back to the rest of the team.

The hybrid easily bounded ahead of him allowing her to return first. Seeing that the head keeper and one of his soldiers were talking, she silently settled onto a sturdy stump.

"The pilots have each got one round in the head," reported Poncho grimly, "Whoever hit it stripped the shit out of it."

The major, however, didn't seem surprised by the damage report, "They took them out with a heat seeker."

The Chicano nodded in agreement before continuing in a strained fashion as if the findings disturbed him slightly, "There is something else, Major, this is no ordinary army taxi. It looks more like a surveillance bird to me."

The conversation was soon interrupted when Dillon moved over to the two making them fall silent, "Picked up the trail yet?"

Dutch turned his head to him in a lazy but powerful way. Clearly showing that he knew who was in command and it certainly wasn't Dillon, "Billy and the girl are on it. Heat seeker, Dillon. It seems pretty sophisticated for half assed mountain boys."

The CIA agent didn't miss a beat, "They must be getting better equipped every day."

With a scratch of her claws on the rough wood of the stump Luna made Billy and her presences known when he finally appeared beside her.

"Major, there were twelve guerrillas and they took the two men from the helicopter, but Luna found something strange."

The major's eyes moved to look at the named girl, but didn't question it. He was glad that the team was accepting her, "What did you find… Luna is it?"

Luna nodded before raising her head to reply, "Army boots, Sir."

Billy quickly took up the explanation knowing she didn't like to speak, "Six men wearing U.S. issued army boots. They came in from the North and then followed the guerillas."

Dutch paused a minute allowing the information to sink in before turning to address Dillon who was looking rather fixedly at the hybrid female with an essence of malice, "Mean anything to you, Dillon?"

Dillon snapped his attention away from Luna, who was crouched with her belly to the ground in submission to his hold on the remote, "Probably just another rebel patrol. They operate in here all the time."

This was met with a contemplative look from Dutch, but he soon shook himself from his thoughts to look sharply over at Billy and Luna, "You two, get ahead and see what you can find."

"Yes, sir."

"Yes, sir."

Once the two had disappeared up ahead Dutch turned to glare at Dillon, who was watching the retreating back of the hybrid, "Leave her alone, Dillon. She is a part of this team so she will be treated like anyone of us."

The CIA agent merely brought his gun to rest on his bicep while giving Dutch a drawl look, "Let an animal run wild then you'll never be able to control it again." He then turned his back and moved away to join the formation leaving Dutch to frown coldly at his back.

Luna and Billy moved silent up ahead scanning for any signs of the guerrillas or the army patrol. Both moved with silence born of years of tracking while they helped the team move safely into guerilla territory. Luna, however, grew tired of the ground below and decided to get a bird's eye view of the forest. The hybrid made swift work of scaling one of the trees her muscles contracting and relaxing smoothly just like the big cats that had help make her. Luna raised her head briefly to the rays of the sun that penetrated the thick canopy. She marveled at the lovely warmth that danced across her skin like the gentle touch of a lover.

Dutch glanced up slightly when the leaves rustled up above. What he saw stopped him in his tracks. Luna stood quietly on a branch with her face up turned to the sun whose rays dappled her in a warm glow that brought out the black rosettes on her body and hair. She looked like a forest spirit enjoying the essence of her home, but one look around her neck brought the chill of reality. The collar showed how she was bound to a world that wasn't her own. He felt his heart constrict in his chest at the thought. Dutch stood completely still as she turned her face down towards him, her flashing eyes burning straight into his soul. He felt completely transfixed by her gaze much like a mouse would feel when stared down by a cat.

"Dutch?"

He jerked to glance back at Dillon and his team before quickly looking back up looking for Luna, but to his surprise she had disappeared out of his sight, "Let's go."

Billy looked up noticing the leopard hybrid maneuvering the trees as easily as if it were the ground he walked on. They shared a single look and nod of understanding before she continued on. Billy moved on as well but not before grabbing one of the vines that hung from the trees and sliced it open causing the water within it to flow out. The water was slightly bitter yet refreshing to his parched mouth as he swallowed greedily. He paused when he saw the little female stop in her tracks in a tree a little away from him with her head trained to the right. That's when he heard the sound of vultures and noticed the unnatural stillness of the forest.

'Something isn't right.'

He moved carefully in the direction of the screeching birds making sure to keep his cover the entire time. Billy looked up gauging the hybrid's reactions, but she merely remained at a distance watching him before looking up into the trees and the florae he was approaching. Frowning slightly he gripped his machete firmly and moved closer to the flapping noise. He carefully crawled over a log then looking ahead he noticed something red that was hidden by the leaves. Once again he crawled forward and parted the leaves and what he saw would forever haunt his dreams. Staring back at him with a look of pure terror was a skinned man. Billy gasped in horror at the sight and as several vultures took flight. Turning back he took several deep breathes to calm his nerves. The rest of the team stood below him staring in shock at the gory sight the skinned bodies made.

Poncho quickly crossed himself, "Holy Mother of God."

The team cautiously moved closer encase there were guerillas lurking around. Luna, however, remained in her tree at a respectful distance from the skin and gutted corpses. It wasn't out of respect for the dead soldiers because she could have cared less for the dead keepers. She swallowed nervously while she pressed herself tightly to the tree trunk behind her. The one who killed those men was still near and he was watching them. The hybrid could smell him strongly in the area. Heavy musk mixed in with the rich and clean smells of water and the forest made her nose twitch. This male, whoever and whatever he was, was clearly an alpha male to her mind. She had heard a strange clicking noise just when Billy had stumbled on the corpses. By the way they had been strung up it was clear in her mind that the male had hunted them like wild game. Luna breathed deeply to calm herself but each breath brought more and more of the male's scent into her system making her slightly light headed. She then focused on what the team was doing. A growl of indignation spilled from her throat when she saw them tampering with the bodies. It wasn't right to tamper with another hunter's trophies.

Dutch watched his men walk through the bodies looking for anyway to identify the bodies. Glancing around he saw Mac use his knife to pluck something out of a pile of intestines and toss it to him. With a quick hand he snatched the bloody object out of the air and found it to be one of the dead men's dog tags.

"Jim Hopper." he breathed in disbelief, "Mac, cut them down."

The soldier nodded before using his blade to cut through the ropes that strung the men up like butchered animals. Dutch then turned to Dillon determined to get answers while ignoring Luna's angry snarl at Mac.

"I knew these men," he paused as if he didn't believe that they were really dead in front of him, "Green Berets out of Fort Bragg. What the hell were they doing here?"

Dillon looked at the tags fixedly while shaking his head, "I don't know, Dutch, this is inhuman. Nobody told me there was an operation in this area. They shouldn't have been here."

The major grunted angrily before walking away, "Someone sent them."

"The guerillas skinned them?" questioned Poncho in irritated disbelief to Mac and Blain, "Why did they skin them?"

Mac shook his head, "Ain't no way for a soldier to die."

Billy a little ways from them remained passive to the conversation as he scouted the area with Luna, who continued to bristle every time one of the team would mess around the male's territory. It made her skin twitch to know that they were disrespecting a hunter's trophies. It was completely dishonorable even for the keepers' terrible ways. Billy ignored her ill temper in favor of picking through some bullet shells on the ground as Major Dutch stepped up beside him.

"What happened here, Billy?"

"Strange, Major," began Billy his voice gruff in thought, "There was a fire fight and they were shooting in all directions."

Dutch's jaw tightened at the news, "I can't believe that Jim Hopper walked into an ambush."

"I don't believe he did," began Billy slowly, "I can't find a single track and neither has she. Luna has been perfectly silent and she has keener senses than I ever could. Just doesn't make sense."

He looked hopefully down at the soldier, "What about the rest of Hopper's men?"

"There is no sign, sir." replied Billy blankly, "They never left here. Hell, it's like they disappeared."

The Major closed his eyes as if in deep thought. When he opened his eyes they were hard with determination, "You and Luna stick to the guerilla trail. Let's get the hostages."

A blood curdling snarl interrupted him as Luna charged Dillon and some of the others driving them away from the groove where the bodies lay. All of them watched in awe and a little fear while the leopard hybrid crouched spitting and snarling. Dutch quickly caught Dillon's arm before he could grab the remote control for her collar, "No, Dillon!" He slowly stepped away from the livid man to face the fury of the woman's. "Easy, Luna, what happened?"

She remained with her back arched and her fangs bared while continuing to hiss and bristle in warning, "Dishonor. Honor of the hunt." She damned her lack of ability to communicate with the keepers. She didn't know how to press her point that they were dishonoring themselves by desecrating the male Hunter's territory and trophies. As a hunter herself, this act from her keepers hit her proud heart worse than any mental or physical torture they could dish out on her.

Dutch remained silent while he tried to understand why she was acting this way. Billy quickly moved to stand beside him, "Don't worry, Luna, we are moving out now. We need to find the hostages."

Luna slowly relaxed out of her aggressive arch and covered her fangs with her lips, but a growl continued to rumble deep in her chest until the soldiers had moved away to a satisfactory distance. Once she was sure they were far enough she quickly ran to stand at point waiting for her orders like nothing had happened.

Seeing her falling back into a docile state Dutch raised his hand, "We move, five minute spread. No sound."

Blaine and Mac nodded from the side while Mac spoke to his brother in arms, "Time to let Old Painless out of the bag."

Blaine smirked in agreement before ripping off the canvas covering on his modified minigun, "Payback time."

Luna slunk ahead silently, but quickly stopped when the strange clicking sound came again. Glancing back to the groove of trees she could have sworn she spotted some movement, yet she couldn't see anyone there. Without breaking out of formation she reared up against a tree and marked it with her claws then rubbed her cheek against the marks to scent it. She hoped the Hunter would see it as an apology for the team, but it was also a warning of what she could do if he forced her to protect them. Luna stepped away from the tree to continue on. If she had stayed after her team had left she would have seen a tall, spotted figure step up to her tree and the large clawed hand that touched the deep slashes in curiosity while he took in the strange scents. Satisfied the figure moved to follow after the military team with their special weapon leading the way.

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**YAY she finally has a name!!!! I hope you all enjoyed my longer chapter. Please REVIEW because it makes me happy and makes chapters come out faster. I've already started on the next so it all depends on you guys on how fast it comes out. So review and I'll have it out ASAP!**

May blue stars and silver moons light your path in life.


	4. Anytime

I know I know bad me! I'm so sorry for the long wait but I made it extra long for you and we even learn the name of our Predator!

Also I would like to thank all of those that constantly messaged me to get me off my lazy butt and type faster. You all are wonderful and I'm glad you are enjoying the story so far. I hope it continues to meet your expectations.

So I've prattled on enough so on to the story and please review if you can. ^.^

"Talking"

'Thinking'

Green eyes flashed in the excitement at the work at hand. The female hybrid flowed instead of walked. Be it over log, stone, or simply flat ground her gait never faltered. She was in her element and she was thriving with the thrill of the hunt, yet she knew better than to let it all go to her head. She had to not only protect herself but also the team of keepers that were fanned out behind her. A whistle brought her into check making her glance back at the commanding, major. She watched as Dutch made a circling motion with his finger before sprinting back around the team to check the rear for any problems. Luna passed Hawkins and Poncho quietly but before she could take another step forward her head jerked up at the mysterious clicking noise.

"Hunter…"

Freezing in place she looked around cautiously for any sign of the unknown male. Scenting the air she realized that he was practically on top of them in the jungle's canopy. Breaking from the unit Luna took to the trees in hope of spotting the allusive male. Once she was in the thick leaf cover she stretched herself out on a limb waiting for him to make a move. The hybrid bared her teeth in frustration when the minutes ticked past without any sightings. There was no way that the hunter could have gotten past her without her spotting him first. Luna stiffened when the smell of male musk and warm earth wafted strongly into her nose. Being careful not to move her head she used her human given peripheral vision to look at the limb next to her. She blinked in wonder at what she saw. The atmosphere seemed to shimmer like heated air over concrete, yet it was in the shape of a body… a very large body. Luna swallowed thickly everything animal in her screamed for her to run to preserve the life she had, but the logical part knew that running meant certain death. One did not run from a hunter greater than yourself unless you had a death wish.

'What a strange female ooman,' thought the one she was observing. The yautja tilted his head slightly in curiosity because something just didn't click together right. She wasn't like normal oomans that he was use to hunting. Everything she did was different, from the way she moved to the way she behaved. At first he had assumed that something was wrong with her, but a simple scan from his mask said otherwise. The ooman female was in perfect condition except for being slightly starved and dehydrated. This also confused him because most male oomans took amazing care of their females but the group she traveled with were ignoring her basic needs to live. The yautja snorted slightly, he didn't care how the males treated the little female. Yet, she had shown great respect for him when she had defended his trophies against the other oomans. He wouldn't kill her… yet. He would bide his time and strike when the time was right and so in a show of his strength and understanding as a fellow hunter he struck the tree trunk over her head with his claws before taking his leave of the strange female.

Luna stayed completely motionless even when the hunter had slashed the trunk over her head. She watched with fascination for the grace of another hunter while he departed, but even while she gazed after his shimmering form she still remained perfectly still so not to offend the alpha male. Once she was certain he was long gone the hybrid turned to glance up at the deep markings he had left in the wood. In a state of awe she touched her finger tips to the deep gashes he had left behind. Truly he was powerful if a single swipe of his hand could deal this kind of damage. Stepping away slightly from the tree trunk then with a quick flick of her hand she slashed across his mark.

'Good hunting to you.'

Without another thought she leapt from the tree and landed on her feet on the forest floor below. She easily made up for lost time as her long, ground eating lope brought her to the back of the team right behind her most hated keeper.

Dillon remained oblivious of her presence behind him while he continued along a ridge, but from his lack of training over the years he wasn't as agile as the rest of the team. To his horror he misjudged his footing causing him to slip on a loose log that tumbled noisily down the slope. Holding his breath he waited for the worse to happen, but when nothing except silence and a few bird calls followed he released a sigh of relief as he moved to continue his trek.

"You're ghostin' us motherfucker," snarled Mac stepping up into Dillon's face threateningly, "I don't care who you are back in the world. You give our position one more time, I'll bleed you real quiet and leave you here. Got that?"

Dillon leaned forward as if to give the leaving soldier a piece of his mind but he contained his fury when he heard an amused snort from behind him. Turning he saw Luna reclining on the root of a tree smirking at his expense.

"I would advise you to shut your trap, Project 246," he spat angrily while reaching towards the pocket that held the controller.

Seeing his point she lazily walked around him, but not for a second did she let her look of amusement leave her face. When she traveled up the line to where Mac walked behind Blain she bumped him good naturedly for telling Dillon off. He smirked at her in understanding while she went on take point with Billy.

Billy nodded to the small female when she settled next to him in the brush. Raising her head slightly higher she slowly turned her head from side to side before growling lowly with her head cocked to the side as if listening. He did the same and soon heard what she did. Not too far were the sounds of a truck motor and of people talking. He slowly stood up to glance at Dutch, who nodded and signaled the others to take a half circling perimeter. He then handed his rifle to Poncho in exchange for a pair of army binoculars. With the greatest of care he slunk down the slope on his belly making sure to muffle the swishing sounds of the leaves on the forest floor while he crawled. Dutch paused briefly behind a fallen log before lifting himself only enough to look over it with the binoculars. Below them laid a guerilla camp with what appeared to be hundreds of people going about taking care of the camp.

"Aah!"

Dutch's concentration was broken with the cry. He quickly turned his gaze toward an open hut. To the wall closet to him he saw what appeared to be a guerilla interrogation of one of the hostages from the plane crash and it didn't appear to be going well. He frowned darkly when the hostage was kicked for insulting the guerilla who then promptly shot the man. Dutch ducked behind the log once more, his face set into a determined scowl. He then signaled the rest of the team to join him. Once they had all belly crawled to his position he quickly filled them in on the situation.

"He killed one of the hostages. We move," he ordered while handing over the binoculars for his rifle, "Mac, Blain... the nest. Billy, Poncho… the guard. Dillon, Hawkins… back up. As soon as they are set, I hit the fuel pump. Luna, you're with me I need your stealth encase silent killing is needed." He tapped the sais strapped to her chest making her growl in excitement. "Time to kill."

The team quickly separated to their given duties. Billy and Poncho moved silently up the bank to the heavy brush that hid the guard as Mac and Blain slithered down the hill right behind the lookout nest. Luna hissed quietly to herself as she dragged her shoulders up to lean against the log so she could observe the progress of the rest of the team. If things went bad she could quickly and efficiently come to their aid and be away the next minute back to her own task.

"Easy, girl, we'll have our turn soon enough," whispered Dutch calmly as he too watched the progress of the others.

Blain and Mac easily made it within a hundred yards of the nest before pausing waiting for Billy and Poncho who promptly took out the guard overlooking the nest. Blain nodded over at Mac as he moved to continue on towards the nest.

Drawing in a sharp intake of air Blain stared down at the trip wire leading to a flash bomb that his hand had almost triggered. Swallowing thickly he glanced at Mac in his peripheral vision who quickly slide towards the bomb and carefully inserted a stout branch to make sure the pressure remained on the bombs sensor. Mac nodded to Blain who nodded in return before cutting the wire in their path. Both men along with the rest of the team behind them sighed quietly in relief when the bomb remained undisturbed and silent.

Luna drew back her lips in a grim smile at the thrill of the entire plan to the point of insanity. She began to fidget while she watched Blain and Mac go to opposite sides of the nest so that both had a guard each to dispose of. Mac drew his knife slowly while whistling like a song bird to attract his target whom unwittingly leaned over to see the source of the noise, but instead found the military knife shoved into his heart. Blain also grabbed the other guerilla and did away with him in the same way.

Everyone stilled as they turned to look at Dutch for further orders on how to proceed. Luna trembled subtly while she too stared up at the commanding officer expectantly. He nodded to Dillon and Poncho up top before looking down at the form of the woman at his feet who gazed back at him with exotic, emerald eyes hoping that he would release her soon. He nodded to her once, "Stick to cover. When I give the signal don't hold back for any reason."

The hybrid inclined her head slightly in acknowledgement before diving silently into the thick coverage toward the edge of the camp. Dutch tried to watch her progress, yet he quickly lost sight of her because of her ability to maneuver amongst the undergrowth without disturbing it. Waiting another minute he too moved carefully towards the camp using every ounce of coverage to his advantage. Nearing the edge he felt a sharp nip on his ankle that almost blew his silent operation, but a quick glance down revealed a pair of flashing, indignant eyes hidden amongst the ferns. He quickly realized that he had nearly stepped on her and promptly changed his direction until he could crouch close enough to the encampment without being seen.

The Major scanned the camp with a critical eye looking for any defense holes and opportunities for his team to do the best of damage. Turning his head slowly he noticed a beat up, old truck with its frame propped up so that one of the back wheel axle could be used in what appeared to be a water purifier. Turning he looked at Dillon and raised a hand at him, which he repeated to the rest of the team to tell them to stay in their positions.

Glancing around quickly he took into account the few men that were grouped outside but none of them appeared to be paying attention to their surroundings. Dutch, with great care, eased his way to the back of the truck that was closest to the jungle and slipped along its side. Taking one last look at the oblivious group he swiftly slung a small satchel off his shoulder and placed it in the bed of the truck. Flipping the top of the bag off the he revealed the switches of a bomb which he soon switched on to detonate. With very little time left after turning it on the Major ran to the back of the truck, cut the belt attaching the engine of the purifier to the truck, and with his amazing strength lifted the truck off its blocks and let it go.

The entire team watched in amazement and interest once the Major let go of the truck, but all of them grinned when they saw the panic that it caused in the guerillas who tried to stop it for going further. However, it was far too late when one guerilla finally was able to jump into the cab of the truck because the truck soon plowed into the front of one of the buildings followed by the blast of the bomb easily killing all the guerillas in the vicinity.

Luna panted slightly in excitement with her lips pulled back while she looked up at Dutch clearly fidgeting to go. Watching him throw a grenade at another building she nearly burst out of her skin when he nodded at her and the rest of the team opened fire on the camp. He watched transfixed as she practically shot out of the brush towards a guerrilla. Clearly locked on him she rushed him so fast that the man didn't have a chance to scream when she leapt snarling into the air grabbed him securely with her claws before swiftly ripping open his jugular.

Luna sprang clear of her first kill as a semi-automatic rifle rained bullets around her. Hissing at their audacity she sprang up on a pile of crates and took to the roof. Keeping her belly firmly pressed against the thatched roof she peered cautiously over the camp. Her attention was instantly drawn to a helicopter about to take off with what appeared to be leaders of the guerrilla organization. Licking her lips she gathering her limbs under her and sprang across the roof. At the last second just when she launched herself toward the aircraft she drew her sais from their holsters and flipped them blades up into her hands. Hitting the dirt on two legs she instantly sprinted forward and sprang into the cockpit amongst the screaming and gun shots. Roaring viciously in the faces of her victims she stabbed and sliced in turns before stabbing the pilot in the shoulder to give her the chance to dispatch him with her fangs. Turning she caught sight of one of the head guerrillas drawing a gun to which she swiftly swiped a booted foot at his hand easily snapping the bones in his wrist.

"Luna, get out of the chopper!"

The hybrid jerked her head up and grimaced at the end of her fun. Turning she went to step out of the helicopter but not before smiling seductively at the remaining men she hadn't got to. They trembled as she twirled her blades to where the blades were braced against her forearms then touched two of her fingers to her lips and blew them a taunting kiss before sauntering away from them. Once she was a good distance from the aircraft an explosion engulfed it causing her to turn and grin at the flames that danced their destructive ballet.

"Luna!"

Said woman glanced to her right to see Major Dutch fire a few rounds into a guerrilla, "Sir!"

He motioned for her to follow with his rifle to which she quickly responded to by trotting up behind him. They proceeded down a narrow aisle between two of the buildings where they quietly approached the end until Dutch pressed his back against the wall holding his hand up to keep her still. Luna, however, growled softly at his slow behavior and hindering actions when it came to letting her do her job. She was trained for stealth, close combat, and for flushing out prey. The hybrid already knew that two men were approaching the corner where Dutch stood. Shaking her head she made sure that her blades were braced firmly against her arms before leaping against the wall that Dutch was pressed against then kicked off to the wall opposite him. Finally, using the momentum of her jumps she sprang off the corner and onto the two men with her blades flipped out.

Dutch jerked when she flew past him and disappeared around the corner to a chorus of horrible screams then an abrupt silence. Stepping from the structure he looked to find Luna crouched innocently on a pile of sand bags as if she hadn't just killed two men. Looking down at her victims he nodded in approval at the efficient skills she had used. Neither of the men had suffered any unnecessary pain.

"Maybe there is more human in you than they think," his comment was met with a passive look while she wiped any stray blood from her knives on the canvas of the bags. Dutch grinned but in a fluent instinctive move he drew his machete and flung the blade over her head.

Luna blinked not phased at all from the abrupt movement instead she turned to look at the guerrilla pined to a wooden pole by Dutch's machete in his gut.

"And you can stick around," Dutch chuckled and continued to walk while Luna watched him go then smacked her palm against her forehead at the crummy joke before moving to follow her bad humored keeper.

'Maybe he thinks he is funny?' she thought to herself in worry at the possible occurrence of other bad puns but let it slide and focused back of their task.

Moving swiftly the pair found themselves in one of the more well-built structures. At first it looked like a storage room for paper products, but Luna lowered herself to the paper strewn floor sniffing at different piles curiously.

'Looks like a keeper's office,' she thought not really knowing what was written on the papers. Maybe it was important information. Sweeping some of the papers off the floor into the air she watched in a pleased fashion while they drifted back to the floor like leaves from a tree. A creak of wood behind her, however, snatched her attention away to the source of the sound. Swinging her head around Luna instantly drew back her lips in a silent snarl as a figure approached Dutch from behind. Lowering herself close to the floor she quietly kneaded the wooden floor while her body rocked slightly from side to side. The other person's arm came up with a gun Luna sprang then broadsided them. With her prey on the ground Luna drew out her sai and smacked the hilt against their head to knock them out.

Dutch turned and watched this, yet the curious look in the hybrid's eyes made him wonder why she didn't kill his attacker like she slaughtered the others. He watched as she leant forward and sniffed around the face of the guerrilla before using a hand to cuff the hat off their head. The major blinked in surprise when a woman was revealed as his attacker, yet that shock didn't last long, "Mac, any sign of the other hostages?"

The soldier quickly called back to the Major before appearing in the doorway of the building, "Found the other guy, he's dead too and the gear from the chopper. If they're Central American, I'm a fuckin' Chinaman. By the looks of 'em, I'd say our cabinet minister and his aide are CIA."

Luna scowled when a sharp noise of wood being tossed aside had her spinning around to glare at the keeper Dillon who appeared to be searching the crates for something. She clicked her teeth in distemper before tossing her head to look over her shoulder at Dutch with a 'You're head honcho here keep your men in check' look. Major frowned too at Dillon's suspicious actions but looked at Mac again as the soldier continued his report, "Another thing, Major, we were lucky...couple of those guys we waxed are Russians, military advisors by the look of it. Something big was about to happen here."

If Dutch had been suspicious before he was now flushed with anger, but he quickly reigned it in for his teammates sake, "Good work, Mac. Clear the area, no traces. Get the men ready to move."

Mac nodded and replaced his hat smartly before leaving, "All right."

Project 246 observed this in a nonchalant manner as she claimed a perch on top of one of the tables with one leg draped over the other looking to the entire world a proper lady. That is if you didn't look at the wild flare in her eyes and the black rosettes that decorated her skin and hair. She didn't know what was really going on but from the deadly glare that the alpha keeper was giving her dark skinned keeper meant something happened that wasn't supposed to happen in the first place. She watched Dillon stride in quickly, who began to shuffle through the papers as though they told him all that he needed to know to feel pleased with the whole ordeal.

"God damn jackpot!" crowed Dillon shuffling through the papers on the floor under the watchful eyes of the two other presences in the room, "This is more than we ever thought we'd get. We got the bastards!"

Luna bristled at the hostile energy that was radiating off of Dutch as he slowly walked over to Dillon with a paper in his hand.

"I think this is the one you want," he said coolly letting the agent grab hold of the paper before Dutch violently latched onto the front of Dillon's shirt, slamming him against the tin wood enforced wall, "You set us up! It was all bullshit. All of it from the start... the Cabinet Minister the whole business. You got us in here to do your dirty work!"

To any other man who was being restrained by the fury of the Major would have simpered and apologized for their actions, yet Dillon did the exact opposite by getting further into his face, "We just stopped a major invasion, in three days they would have been across the border with this stuff!"

This didn't even divert the Major's anger it only feed the raging flames in his blue eyes, "Why us?"

Dillon stood his ground stubbornly, "Because no one else would have been able to pull it off. You're pissed about the cover story, but I know I couldn't have gotten you in here without it."

Dutch forced Dillon even further against the wall with a growl that made even Luna stiffen in her corner where she had taken shelter from the wrath of the two keepers, "So what story did you feed to Hooper?"

The CIA agent refused to give up as he maintained eye contact with the major as his words grew more passionate, "We've been lookin' for this place for months. My men were in that chopper when it got hit! Hooper's orders were to go in and get my men but he disappeared."

The Major growled at the use of the word 'disappeared' as an image of the skinned corpses flashed in his mind, "He didn't disappear he was skinned alive!"

"And my orders was to get someone who could crack these bastards!" yelled Dillon defensively not liking the thought of having the blood of the skinned soldiers on his hands.

"So you cooked up a story and dropped the six of us in a meat grinder," Dutch released the other with a look of disgust while looking him up and down as though he didn't know him, "What happened to you, Dillon, you used to be someone I could trust."

Dillon went very still because he knew his reply was a cold truth even for him to the point that he felt angry tears build in his eyes, "I woke up. Why don't you? You're an asset… and expendable asset and I used you to get the job done. Got it?"

Dutch amazingly maintained a cold front while slamming the documents into his chest, "My men aren't expendable and I don't do this kind of work."

"Major, Major!" yelled Hawkin's voice from the palapa drawing his attention away from his anger with Dillon. Stepping away he moved to exit the structure but stopped briefly when the woman on the floor began to regain consciousness.

"Project 246, take care of…," started Dillon yet he was quickly cut off by a sharp word from Dutch.

"The girl isn't taking care of any of your shit," the Major glanced over at the female in question who looked up at him in awe, "Come on, Luna, let's see what's wrong now."

Luna blinked slowly as conflict raged in her mind. Did she obey the keeper that held the remote or the keeper that was head of the team? With careful deliberate movements she stood onto only two feet and sheathed her blades before walking in between the two men. Glancing from one to the other she cautiously approached Dutch thinking that any minute that the other keeper would activate her collar in retaliation for her disobedience, yet nothing happened even when she was standing right next to Dutch. Letting out a quiet breathe that she didn't know she had been holding she looked up at the Major who gave her a small smile while patting her shoulder while walking out the doorway and the small female didn't waste any time in following close at his heels.

Dutch and Luna entered into a small clearing in the camp where Hawkins had his transmission equipment out, "What's going on?" Luna could see the other man sweating in worry and knew that it wasn't good news.

"Major, we stepped into some real shit here. I got a hook-up with aerial surveillance. It says we have guerrillas all over the place. It can't be more than one or two miles away. This place is going down."

Dutch frowned in concentration at this worrying news, "How much time do we have?"

Hawkins shook his head while he began to pack up, "Half an hour…maybe less."

Major instantly jumped into action as he pointed to Blain, "Tell Mac we move in five."

The hybrid female instantly lowered to all fours getting ready to receive orders, but went still when Dillon appeared dragging the other female along, "She goes with us. She's too valuable. The girl has got to know their whole guerrilla network."

The Major shook his head at the incompetence of such a thought while he lit one of his cigars, "She'll give away our position, every chance she gets. No deal."

Dillon, however, was not going to take no for an answer as he tightened his hold on the woman's arm, "You're still under orders, Major. You want to make that call or should I?"

Luna twitched slightly at that punch below the belt. Even she knew when you didn't use the authority card unless it was a desperate time and this was most certainly not the time. She growled in disapproval at the remote keeper who frowned at her in return while threateningly touching the breast pocket that held the remote. That made her go quiet, but it most certainly didn't rid her of her look of disgust.

Dutch took a deep draw on his cigar agreeing with the actions of the girl. He blew a lazy smoke ring, "She's your baggage, you fall behind you are on your own and don't think of putting this on the girl I need her for scouting."

The other man kept his silence as he watched the others walk away along with the hybrid who trailed after them in high spirits at the thought of moving back into the jungle. Luna murred pleasantly to herself while she scaled the different debris that lay about with practiced ease. She was proud of the victory today and wanted to continue onward to complete the mission even though the others didn't share her carefree mood.

"This place is too hot for a pick up. They won't touch us until we are over the border," Dutch threw his outer shirt to the side in frustration, "Billy, find me a way out of this hole aerial says we are cut off."

The tracker looked at the map the major had pinned to the burnt nose of the helicopter while Luna darted in and out of the aircraft's skeleton until she settled to batting at the copter's propellers watching them turn gleefully.

Billy chuckled at her antics but went serious again, "The only way out of here is that valley that leads to the East, but I wouldn't waste that on a broke, dicked dog."

"Don't have much choice," rasped Dutch taking a heavy draw of thick smoke before turning turns to Ramirez who is kneeling near them, "Poncho, take lead. Double time it."

Everyone that was left behind turned to watch Dillon drag the now bandaged and bound female guerrilla who cursed at him in bursts of anger. Dutch scowled at the display while tossing away his cigar before stalking away to follow Poncho.

Luna on the other hand found it extremely amusing at the frustration that the other female was causing the remote keeper. Settling smugly on top of a pile of crate she watched the female smack at Dillon's chest while they exchanged ferocious words in a language she didn't know but she knew all she needed to know from the angry smells to the stiff postures from both sides. Taking a leisurely sip of her precious water the hybrid allowed herself a smile as her supposedly superior was verbally and physically abused by a woman that was almost her own size.

As Dillon pushed the woman to walk in front of him a call stopped him for his attention.

"Hey, Dillon!"

Said man turned and looked back at Mac who stood with his leg propped on an overturned barrel with his rifle propped up on top of his thigh, "Over here."

The CIA agent hesitated briefly as he shot a warning look at the guerrilla before approaching the former Vietnam soldier, "What?"

"Turn around."

A distrustful look instantly sprung onto Dillon's face, "Why?"

Mac didn't say another word just looked up and inclined his head towards the trees behind Dillon who, in his curiosity, turned to see what Mac had indicated. He jumped, however, when a slight pressure was applied to a small place on his shoulder. Turning in a panic he saw Mac with his army knife pulling back from where he had touched it to Dillon's shoulder, but at the tip was skewered a squirming scorpion. Wincing slightly the agent nodded jerkily, "Thanks."

Mac watched the other man walk away with a stoic face while he scrapped the dead insect onto the top of an oil barrel, "Anytime."

Project 246 blinked in wonderment at the interactions that had passed between the two departing keepers. She had remembered when Mac had threatened Dillon for being sloppy with his foot work in the forest, but there was a tangible resentment between the two even though Mac had saved the other from a painful situation if not death from the tiny little insect. Luna snorted and shook her head slowly from side to side. She would never understand the complex ways of the keepers no matter how long she survived under them. Stretching briefly to loosen her muscles she made a pretty pearling sound in her throat as she caught a whiff of the breeze. Falling to all fours once more she observed her surroundings hoping to see the source of the now familiar musk, but once again she saw nothing out of the ordinary. The hybrid arched her back lazily in casual passiveness before turning to follow the keepers, but not before rubbing along several crates and piles sacks filled with grain to tell of her good hunting and unmatched strength against her foes.

Kav'ti watched carefully the gestures made between two of the males in the group he had been following. He made sure to record what they were saying encase it would be useful later. Clicking thoughtfully he noticed how there was tension in the leadership of the group of oomans which made it an interesting factor into which of them would be the best of trophies. However, this thought was distracted when another heat signature appeared on a top of old crates near the two males he had been looking over.

'Still alive, little ooman?' thought the hunter following her curious habits as she leapt gracefully from crate, to barrel, to the ground and quickly back to higher ground. Having observed her abilities in combat he was rather intrigued to find so much fighting capability in the physically weaker sex of the ooman race, yet she had shown up many if not all of the other males when it came down to the number of honored kills she took down. He could tell that she was pleased with herself and had enjoyed herself immensely from the way she flitted about in high spirits.

"Anytime."

The yautija turned his head to bring his attention back to the males from earlier and watched while one walked away and the other scrapped off something onto the top of a barrel from his knife. He wasn't the only one to see this behavior as he caught sight of female ooman approaching the barrel once the other two had left to stare down at the thing on top of it. She didn't seem much phased by what had occurred, just lightly puzzled by their actions. Moving to stand on his tree limb he froze when the wind blew away from him towards the stretching female.

'Pauk!' He remained as still as stone as the fair head of the ooman shot up once his scent struck her. Barely daring to breathe he found that he had been right to guess that this female's senses were far superior to those of other oomans of her kind. Yet, to his amazement he heard a very familiar sound coming from the female before she returned to her regular four legged posture. The lovely pearling sound that reached him reminded him of the pleased sounds of his own female kind as being a sound that signaled that they were pleased by a male's presence or were highly fascinated. His chest tightened at the urge to answer her little sound with a growling thrum of his own but he was able to fight it when he remembered what actually made that sound. The female didn't seem pleased at not finding the object that had eluded her sight, yet this didn't seem to bother her too much when she arched delicately before turning to follow the rest of her group as she sensually rubbed against different objects in her path.

Waiting until she had disappeared over the hill with the others Kav'ti cautiously descended from his tree to look about the camp. There were many bodies scattered on the ground much of their heat already beginning to disappear in the way that all death caused in its victims. Carefully picking his way around the debris he came to the barrel that the female had looked at. Glancing down at it himself he noticed the tiny figure of one of Earth's species of insects called the scorpion. Kav'ti clicked to himself in thought before gently picking up the little body to hold in his palm while he played back the recording from earlier:

"Anytime."


End file.
